Writing table



Ap 1951 L. THIBIEROZ 2,549,545

warms TABLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1, 1945 l INVENTOR. Zaarfld T/u'bieroz fiGl'NI'SZ THIBIEROZ 2,549,545

WRITING TABLE April 17, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1945 INVEINTOR. Zaureui Tia Zueroz XML | THIBIEROZ April 17, 1951 WRITING TABLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 1, 1945 INVENTOR. Zaarea i Tiu'lu eroz BY MW a4 L. THIBIEROZ WRITING TABLE April 11, 1 951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 1, 1945 LMH MQ L 1 I kln h I I I HQWWW J INVEN TOR. Z auren i 272 ifi de r02 11 GENTS.

1951 L. THIBIEROZ 2,549,545

WRITING TABLE Filed May 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Hillllluu, O O HIIIIIJHHIH v VINVENTOR.

Zaurcn i T]: ber0z Patented Apr, 17, 1951' Application May 1, 1945, Serial No. 591,324

In France June 11, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires June 11, 1963 1 This invention relates to improvements in desks and writing-tables.

Baskets are frequently used'for sorting .dQCll-f ments on writing-tables of the ordinary type, of

which there are generallyat'least two'marked in or.incoming and out or outgo ng.

When documents present a confidentialor a secret character, the interested party is obliged to take'special precautionary measures during his absence from the desk or while receiving visitors. As a direct consequence of these measures,

13 Claims. (01. 312 2725 V Fig. Sshows a detail of. part of the mechanism for aiding vertical movement of the lid after opening time is lost on the one hand in handling documents, files, drawers, keys, etc. and on the other hand "in seeking again hastily and inaccurately displaced documents. Furthermore the usual sorting a rule after each working period, as Well as for the'sake of the aforesaid security and for protecting documents against the cleaning operations in the ofiices, have one drawback; generally these documents are not found again strictly in the same-order as they were left. 'Itis .then necessary to exert oneself and to do extra search- 7 ing in order to return to the same state of order as existed at the time-when-work was dropped;

there again a loss of time. 1

Moreover, consulting documents of a large surface is awkwardowing to the presence of these baskets which encumber the surface of the table.

The present invention brings an easy remedy to the differentinconveniences already mentioned. The main principle consists in fitting in the desk special recesses for sorting documents operations, as

in the course of examination; these recesses are situated underthe upper plane of the piece of furniture, within easy reach, and are provided with con'cealable covering panels which allow j closure without displacing the documents, thus leaving ready for use the normal surface of the writing-table. V I

Without in any way limiting the scope of the invention, a preferred embodiment is hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents a general view of a writing table with two baskets in the indicated places. These baskets disappear under automatic bolting. The device is invisible and inviolable; its'operation is simple without a key; v

Fig. 2 represents the general view of the same writing-table, documents and baskets being enclosed in their special lodgings masked by th covering panels or lids (such as panel 3) Fig. 3 gives a detailedview of one embodiment;

Fig. 4 is a section" through line AB of Figure '3;

Figs. 6' and 7 show a more elaborate embodi ment with mechanism for raising and lowering the trays as the lid is opened or closed;

Fig.8 is a perspective of the left front portion of the table seen from below with partscut away to show the locking mechanism; 4

7 Figs. 9 and 10 show perspective views from below of the abutment and release mechanisms by means of which the drawer canbe pushed in an additional distance for unlocking the recesses.

Recesses whose number is not limited, are provided on each side of the pieceof furniture, to accommodate removable or fixed trays of theusual type for mailancl documents.

When the writing-table is closed, top surface 2 shows an uninterrupted plane without fittings or parts in relief. Every tray or basket I is masked by an incli-nable board or lid 3 bolted by means of the staple 4 and by the hook 5 revolv- 'ing around the axle 6 fixed on the prop 1, itself fixed on the" writing-table. The hook 5 ineludes at one end a roller 8 rolling on a cam 9' held to the central drawer of the table. A spring l0 insures the engagement of the hook 5 in the staple 4; a screw II and a lock nut I2 permit the adjustment.

When the recess is opened the part of lid 3 near the staple is pushed upwards by the mechanism l3 and it revolves around the point, 0 by means of the lateral axles l4 fixed by the screws [5 and by means of the slides l6 fixed to the writing-table.

The weight I! may be disposed between'the two slides [6 (Fig. 5) guided through the tube [8 and linked to the lid by the cable IS, the axle 20 and the fittings 2!, to aid the vertical displacement of the lid inside the piece of furniture. It is stopped in its course by the abutment of the axles M at the end of the slides.

The system l3 (Fig. 3) includes a body 22 containing a push-pin 23 pushed by the spring 24, compressible at will by the stopple 25. Push-pin 23 transmits its force to the lid through the intermediary of a metal disk 26; system I3 may be replaced by a leaf spring disposed in the rabbet.

The opening of the recess is determined by the position of the central drawer. A system of stops (Figs. 3, 4 ands to 10) limits the forward course of the drawer. It includes a prop 21, an axle 28 commanded by a tip 29. A stop 30 of the drawer is alwaysmaintained in a vertical 'position by a spring 3|, straining the stud 32 held to stop 30, another stud 33 limits its rotation. An-

other stop 34 determining the opening of the recess is adjustable and may be locked by a locknut 38.

A spring 36 tends to replace the central drawer in its normal position. I

To unlock the recesses it is necessary after opening the lock of the central drawer only to lower tip 29 and push the drawer to the full extent. It will hit on piece 34, thus releasing, opening and turning over the lids automatically. If one desires to simplify this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the system shown in Figure and turn over the lids by hand.

To'close the recesses it is necessary only to grasp the lids by the staples l acting as handles, raise them upwards, then lower them towards the middle of the table and press down for the lock to engage.

Unforeseen opening of the recesses cannot occur since after opening them the centraldrawer resumes its normal position, under the force of spring 36. Moreover, stop 30 pulled by spring 3! takes up its former vertical position preventing a new forward course of the drawer without a new manipulation of tip 2%.

Simultaneously; the closed position of the central drawer bolts the lateral drawers, by means of a devicealready known.

All pieces used in'this example are simply machined; their assembly is easy; the increase in net cost resulting from the application of the invention in mass production is negligible.

The principal advantages of the writing-table according to the invention are as follows:

1. By a simple and quick operation, the secret character of the documents is safeguarded during absence of the interested party or the reception of visitors.

2. The necessity to sort and resort documents in drawers and files in case of interruption is suppressed, hence considerable saving of time.

3. The possibility of finding the documents again instantaneously in the position and order in which they were left enhances continuity of thought.

4. The sorting of the documents in baskets is made easier because they are lower than the top of the writing-table.

5. The possibility of easily unfolding and consulting documents of large area, and using for this purpose the whole top surface of the desk, obviates the necessity for first removing other encumbrances.

A variation of the system described is shown by way of further examples in Figures 6 and '7. The purpose here is to elevate simultaneously the baskets to a level with the top surface whenthe lids go down out of sight. According to this variation, basket I rests on a board 40 adapted for vertical displacement. For that purpose, it is provided with vertical shanks 4i, sliding in guide-tubes 42, and with a rack 43 enmeshed with a pinion Mi which itself is moved by another rack 45, vertically guided and hinged at 46 on lid 3. In it downward movement lid 3 raises basket 1 to the level of top surface 2.

It is obvious that the invention can be performed in many ways other than those shown and illustrated in the accompanying drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. g

i What I claim is: 1 Y

1. A writing desk having at least one drawer and comprising a top surface provided with at least one opening separated from the periphery thereof, a bottom panel situated below and in alignment with said opening to form a recess destined to receive documents, a panel forming a lidfor said, opening, said lid registering with said top surface when in the closed position, a staple attached to said lid means for engaging said staple and locking said lid in the closed position, and means for disengaging said staples connected to a drawer of said writing table.

2. A writing desk having at least one drawer and comprising a top surface provided with at destined to receive documents, a panel forming a lid for said opening, said lid registering with said top'surface when in the closed position, a staple attached to said lid, means for engaging said staple and locking said lid in the closed position, and means for disengaging said staple actuated by pushing a drawer of said writing table beyond the normal closed position.

3. A writing desk according to claim 2 having a first abutment limiting the movement of said drawer to its normal closed position, means for disengaging'said first abutment, a second abutment to limit the movement of said drawer at a distance beyond the normal closed position sufficient for actuating the means for disengaging said staple, means for automatically returning said drawer at least to normal closed position, and means for re-engaging'said first abutment as said drawer reaches normal closed position.

4. A writing table according to claim 1, having a first rack fixed to said lid, a sprocket engaging said rack and mounted on an axle attached to said table, a second rack parallel to said first rack, fixed to said bottom panel and engaging said sprocket opposite the teeth engaging said first rack, said racks and sprocket coacting to raise said bottom panel to a level with said top surface as said lid is opened and to lower said bottom panel as said lid is closed.

5. A writing table according to claim 1 having a first rack fixed to said lid, a sprocket engaging said rack and mounted on an axle attached to said table, a second rack parallel to said first rack, fixed to said bottom panel and engaging said sprocket opposite the teeth engaging said first rack, said racks and sprocket coacting to raise said bottom panel to a level with said top surface as said lid is opened and to lower said bottom panel as said lid is closed.

6. A desk having a flat top, an opening in said top positioned inwardly of the border thereof, a bottom plate in alignment with and below said opening to form a recess adapted to receive documents, a cover plate secured to the desk to close said opening and to assure the continuity of the surface of the top when said cover plate is in closed position, said cover plate being mounted on said desk to open and become positioned below the level of said top, said recess being located at the side of the center portion of the top plate and being in reach of the hand of a seated user, the dimensions of said recess being approximately those of a mail basket, a staple attached to said cover plate, catch means for said staple to hold said cover plate in a closed position, andmeans to disengage said staple.

- '7. A desk according .to claim 6 wherein resilient means are provided for automatically lifting said cover plate when the staple is set free.

8. A desk according to claim 6 having two pins attached to the cover plate opposite the staple, two vertical guides adapted to guide said pins, resilient means to lift said cover plate by turning it about said two pins when the staple is set free, and means to shift said pins toward the bottom of the desk when the cover plate is lifted.

9. A desk having a fiat top, an opening in said top positioned inwardly of the border thereof, a bottom plate in alignment with and below said opening to form a recess adapted to receive documents, a cover plate secured to said desk to close said opening and to assure the continuity of the surface of the top when said cover plate is in closed position, said cover plate being mounted on said desk to open and become positioned below the level of said top, said recess being located at the side of the center portion of the top plate and being in reach of the hand of a seated user, the dimensions of said recess being approximately those of a mail basket, a staple attached to said cover plate, catch means for said staple to hold said plate in a closed position, a central drawer mounted in said desk, and means to disengage said staple by supplementary movement of said central drawer beyond its normal closed position.

10. A desk according to claim 9, comprisinga first abutment being adapted to limit the path of the central drawer in its normal closed position, means to disengage said first abutment, a second abutment being adapted to limit the supplementary movement of the central drawer during which the means to disengage the staple are actuated, means to automatically draw back the central drawer, and means to automatically return the first abutment into its (operative) position when the central drawer has returned from said abutment.

11. A desk having a flat top, an opening in said top positioned inwardly of the border thereof, a bottom plate in alignment with and below said opening to form a recess adapted to receive documents, a cover plate secured to said desk to close said opening and to assure the continuity of the surface of the top when said cover plate is in closed position, said cover plate being mounted on said desk to open and become positioned below the level of said top, said recess being located at the side of the center portion of the top and being in reach of the hand of a seated user, the dimensions of said recess being approximately those of a mail basket, 2. first rack attached to said cover plate, a gear engaging said rack, a shaft fixed to the desk, said gear being mounted on said shaft, a second rack parallel with respectto said first rack, said second rack being secured to said bottom plate and engaging said gear opposite the zone of engagement of said first rack, said two racks and said gear being arranged in such a manner that the bottom plate is in its lower position when the cover plate is closed, and the bottom plate is moved to the level of the top when the cover plate is open.

12. A desk having a flat top, an opening in said top positioned inwardly of the border thereof, a bottom plate in alignment with and below said opening to form a recess adapted to receive documents, a cover plate secured to the desk to close said opening and to assure the continuity of the surface of the top when said cover plate is in closed position, said cover plate being mounted on said desk to open and become positioned below the level of said top, said recess being located at the side of the center portion of the top and being in reach of the hand of a seated user, the dimensions of said recess being approximately those of a mail basket, resilient means adapted to automatically lift said cover plate, locking means adapted to hold said plate in a closed position against the action of said resilient means, and disengaging means provided to stop the action of said locking means.

13. A desk having a fiat top, an opening in said top positioned inwardly of the border thereof, a bottom plate in alignment with and below said opening to form a recess adapted to receive documents, a cover plate secured to the desk to close said opening and to assure the continuity of the surface of the top when said cover plate is in closed position, said cover plate being mounted on said desk to open and become positioned below the level of said top, said recess being located at the side of the center portion of the top and being in reach of the hand of a seated user, the dimensions of said recess being approximately those of a mail basket, resilient means being adapted to automatically lift said cover plate, locking means being adapted to hold said plate in a closed position against the action of said resilient means, unlocking means being adapted to stop the action of said locking means, and control means for said unlocking means, a central drawer mounted on said desk, said control means being attached to said central drawer.

LAURENT THIBIE'Roz.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 362,306 Neitzel May 3, 1887 871,084 Carroll A, Nov. 12, 1907 885,748 Haggard Apr. 28, 1908 939,125 Fealy Nov. 2, 1909 1,480,259 Greiner Jan. 8, 1924 1,942,856 Davis Jan. 9, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 413,216 Great Britain July 12, 1934 268,672 Italy Oct. 25, 1929 29,109 Norway Oct. 7, 1918 

